As DA's Trial Begins, Key Player Sentenced 30 Years for Pot Found in MBN Raid

Christopher Butler, who has played a significant role in the state's trial against Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith, was convicted of marijuana possession late last week and sentenced to 30 years in prison and $500,000 without fines because he is a habitual offender.
Photo by Imani Khayyam.

JACKSON  As the second trial against Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith begins today, Christopher Butler, 40, is headed to prison for 30 years without parole after a Hinds County Circuit Court jury convicted him of possession of a large amount of marijuana on July 27.

A Jackson man says MBN framed him for drug charges, which the agency vehemently denies. Illustration by Zeakyy Harrington

The jury convicted Butler on one count of possession for approximately four pounds of marijuana, a press release from the attorney general's office says. Hinds County Circuit Judge Jeff Weill sentenced Butler to 30 years in prison as a habitual offender under Mississippi law.

Weill had to sentence Butler with at least 24 years in prison without parole under the state's habitual-offender standards. Butler was previously convicted of marijuana possession and motor vehicle theft, a press release from Attorney General Jim Hood's office says. Weill added six more years to Butler's sentence because he is a "repeat drug offender." Butler is not eligible for parole for 30 years, and he also owes the state $500,000 in fines.

"Christopher Butler is a career criminal who has met his match through this sentence," said Hood said in the statement. "I appreciate the service of the jury and thank Judge Weill for his work."

An archive of reporting on controversies surrounding Hinds County district attorneys, present and past.

Butler's Friday sentencing is connected to an April 2011 search warrant when the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics found about four pounds of marijuana hidden in furniture at Butler's home. They also found a home security camera system, which they took and used to show the jury video footage of Butler "handling the drugs, selling drugs, counting large stacks of cash and storing the cash," the statement from Hood's office says.